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The Walking Dead – Long Wait for Season Two

Warning! Season finale spoilers ahead!

That’s all, folks. Until October 2011, anyway. Yeah, we’ve got to wait until October 2011 for our next bite of the undead. Bummer.

AMC aired The Walking Dead’s first season finale Sunday night to a cable ratings record. The zombie holocaust show has been a massive hit, with a second season greenlit weeks ago. The show, produced by Frank Darabont and based on the graphic novels by Robert Kirkman, ran a first season comprising only six episodes (the filthy flirts) but still managed to pick up a huge, zombie-like following.

The season ended with a bang, quite literally, and included the death of a regular member of the group and a tantalisingly secret exchange. Just what did Jenner whisper to Rick before the CDC centre blew sky-high? Was he telling him some terrible secret about the infection, perhaps that it’s mutating and will go airborne? Was he passing on something he found in the blood tests he gave the group? Or was he telling Rick that he’ll be stuck in narrative limbo until next October? By the look on Rick’s face, I’m leaning toward the latter. It was a solid episode to end on, even with the rather strange ‘I just happened to have this hand-grenade in my handbag’ moment, which left me rolling my eyes a little. Still, these are minor quibbles on a major success. I have thoroughly enjoyed The Walking Dead and can’t wait for more.

Shooting for the second season has been reported to start next spring, with a thirteen episode run this time out. That’s much more like it. Six episodes is like half a good meal, and this zombie’s tummy is rumbling. Whispers are circulating about what we can expect to see in the next season, but Kirkman has revealed that Daryl’s brother Merle, last seen hacking off his own hand to escape his confinement on a roof, will definitely return. Also rumoured is the appearance of the comic’s sword-wielding zombie-killer, Michonne. And, hopefully, they’ll tell us what the hell Jenner whispered to Rick.

Do not open until October 2011

So, the long wait starts here. Okay, it’s just a TV show, but once you’re hooked, you’re hooked. Celluloid Zombie will keep an eye open for updates on AMC’s small screen cousins. In the meantime, check out the AMC’s The Walking Dead site for more.